The Temptation of Jesus

The word temptation in the Greek language is peirasmos. The word has several meanings. It means trials with a beneficial purpose and effect. It means temptations divinely permitted or sent. It also means tests that can lead to sin do to our internal evil desires (or lusts).

I want to examine the temptation of Jesus by the devil in the wilderness.

First temptation - Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry. Now when the tempter came to him, he said, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matt 4:1-3). But he answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone but from every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’’ (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Do you see what the devil is trying to do here? He is attempting and tempting Jesus to get off his course, and abandon the will of God and seek physical satisfaction by eating. Yes Jesus was tired and hungry, and no doubt weakened having not eaten for forty days and nights. Yet the Lord was focused and used his best offensive weapon to defeat the enemy – the Word of God. Jesus told Satan, “It is written…”

But Satan is not done.

Second temptation – Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “’He will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ “Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, You shall not put your Lord God to the test’ “(Matt 4:5-7).

Here we see the devil intensifies the temptation. How? By quoting scripture to convince Jesus to do what he is proposing – throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple-the southeast corner. Historians have said the drop from the pinnacle of the temple to the ground could have been as high as 450 feet which would led into the Kedron Valley. This is what the Jewish Historian Josephus (37-100 AD) said about the temple:

               

… and this cloister deserves to be mentioned better than any other under the sun; for while the valley was very deep, and its bottom could not be seen, if you looked from above into the depth, this further vastly high elevation of the cloister stood upon that height, insomuch, that if anyone looked down from the top of the battlements, or down both those heights, he would be giddy, while his sight could not reach to such an immense depth. (Ant. 15:412)

  

A couple of things we need to examine in this temptation. 1. By Satan tempting Jesus to hurl himself off the temple mount, what the devil is hoping is that Jesus would kill himself. That way he is rid of his most dreaded enemy, and the plan of God is defeated. 2. The devil uses scripture out of context. Why? Because he is the father of all false religious systems. The passage Satan uses is out Psalm 91. In context it reads, “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place – the Most High, who is my refuge, no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they shall bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:9-11).

The Psalmist is saying those who trust in the Lord will have the protection and refuge of God Almighty.

The devil misquoted the text of Psalm 91 to convince Jesus to presume on the power of God and throw himself off of the temple so that the angels could catch him lest he strike his foot on the rocks below. Satan butchered this text of scripture. But when people are unsuspecting, and cannot discern truth from error, you can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say to manipulate the gullible and naïve. False teachers like the devil do this every day. Know your Bible children of God!

We cannot play “Evil Knievel” with our lives and presume God will rescue us. That is putting God to the test which Jesus commanded Satan not to do. We are not to do it either. What the devil tempted Jesus to do would not have been an act of faith, but foolishness. Jesus knew that and again used the word of God to counter attack the enemy.

Third temptation – Again, the devil took him on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him shall only you shall serve’ “(Matt 4:8-10).

Here, Jesus defeats Satan again with the Word of God. Satan’s ego is now exposed as he wants Jesus to worship him instead of God. In exchange Satan would give Jesus the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Could we even imagine owning the entire world? Everywhere you set your foot would belong to you. That is untold power. That is what Satan had and notice Jesus didn’t deny Satan’s ownership.

The Bible says the devil is the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the ruler of this world system (John 12:31).

Also, the world is under his power (I John 5:19).

In Matthew 4:11 it says the devil left Jesus and angels ministered to him. In Luke 4:13 it says, “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.”

When the devil has ended tempting us, he will leave, but rest assured he will return.

  

It is important to realize that the temptations Jesus experienced were orchestrated by the Spirit of God. Why? So Jesus could prove to the devil that he is God? Was it to prove that Jesus was superior to the devil? Was it to show us how to defeat the devil when we are attacked by him? Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God because Jesus was displaying his obedience and trust in the Father to preserve him in this initial temptation as a human being.

God was testing Jesus for his good and edification, whereas Satan was tempting Jesus to sin and his destruction.

How do we reconcile Jesus’ temptation by the devil and the text in James 1:13-14? Wasn’t Jesus tempted to do evil?

James 1:13-14 reads, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.

These verses here appear to contradict what we just discussed in Matthew 4, but they do not. Let me explain.

Remember the temptation of Jesus was unique in that Satan was tempting the sinless Son of God. As a reminder, Jesus temptation experience was planned by God. Every temptation Jesus experienced was without – meaning on the outside. Since he never had any internal lust, he couldn’t be drawn away by it unlike us who are sinful. Jesus has a divine nature, not a sinful one. We have no capacity to comprehend anyone like that. Now James is talking about mankind in particular, not “divinekind” (if one permits the expression). James is also discussing mankind being tempted by his own ungodly lust. The devil is not even in the picture here. Yes we know he is the tempter, but I believe James is specifically talking about being drawn away, and being tempted because of our own evil desires.

Regarding the devil tempting Jesus; yes he tempted Jesus to sin. We read the three temptations in Matthew 4. Jesus had to be tempted in his humanity. Why? So that he could feel what we feel.

Hebrews 4:15 speaking of the Lord Jesus says this, “We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

What are the all points?

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     The lust of the flesh – turn these stones into bread and satisfy your hunger. You have suffered enough Son of God.

·         The lust of the eyes –  I’ll give all of the kingdoms of the world and their glory if you worship me the devil said.  Satan wanted to be the Lord of his Lord. Just like in Isaiah 14 the devil still wanted to dethrone God.

·     The pride of life – Throw yourself off the temple since you are the Son of God.  Do something spectacular to gain fame from the crowds and a great following! God loves you and will protect you from all harm.  Bear in mind Jesus never performed a miracle for someone’s amusement. When he was on trial before King Herod, he hoped Jesus would perform a miracle for him but he did not (Luke 23:8).

These are the lying fiery darts the devil throws at the believer to get him or her off course to; discourage us in this warfare. Ultimately the devil wants to kill us just like he wanted to kill Jesus (John 10:10).

The devil lost to Jesus ultimately when he died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for mankind’s sins. Jesus ultimate humiliation was also his greatest triumph. He had given the devil a vicious blow to the head as described way back in Genesis 3:15. The devil has never recovered from this blow and is losing his grip as time marches on.

Jesus showed us in his temptation how to wage a perfect warfare against our enemy Satan. Each time Satan attacked Jesus he used the greatest of all weapons, the Word of God. This is what neutralizes the enemy’s attacks.

Ephesians 6:17b refers to the Sword of the Spirit as the Word of God. For the Roman soldier this blade was his only offensive weapon in battle. For the spiritual soldier the Word is our only weapon in battle and it is enough. Jesus showed us how to use it in his temptation, we can gain victory in battle with it too!

How do we get the devil off our back? What causes him to cower and hide for a season? Here’s our answer: “Submit yourselves to therefore God. Resist the devil and he will flee” (James 4:7).

Saints of God, continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and wage a formidable warfare in the Spirit for “IT IS WRITTEN” is our battle cry.